The 1011-hectare Tenuta di Arceno estate sits 404-809 metres above sea level. The site between Florence and Siena has been producing wines for nearly 3000 years. According to Roman mythology, an ancient Roman statue, Il Fauno, was installed in the estate’s centre to protect it from intruders. The nose is a riot of savoury black cherries with a dusting of mint. Rich, robust and full-bodied, it is only beginning its life. Black plums and licorice dominate the palate, supported by cedar, toasted oak and a more savoury, peppery note in the finish. Il Fauno is a Bordeaux-style blend of 43/32/20/5 Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. It is one to lay away for seven to 10 years. However, wild boar would be a good match if you must drink it now.

A yummy Syrah by winemaker Greg Brewer, that always over-delivers at the price point, this medium ruby stunner, with a pinkish rim, bursts with notes of boysenberry, blueberry compote, wet pine needles, black olive, and ground pepper. It’s leaner on the palate than on the nose and produces a very balanced, saline, and earthy finish. Tannins are a bit elevated so giving this a year or two in the bottle to settle down will be richly rewarded.

Delicate nuances of clove, thyme, ripe red and black berries and hints of smoke. Vibrant and mineral, with grainy tannins. Lovely.

Fragrant aromatic of dried herbs, ripe black fruit, sweet liquorice, sage, rosemary and coffee. Sweet black fruit on the palate with firm fine-grained tannins.

Blackberries and violets with some spices throughout. Medium body, with medium round tannins and a savory finish. A little light at the end, but attractive. Drink now.

A floral note of violets mingles with sage and bay leaf details in this red, with a core of blackberry and currant flavors that are round, juicy and supple. Earl grey tea and black pepper accents linger on the long, expressive finish. Drink now through 2040.

Tightly coiled yet expressive, with berry cobbler, river stone and white pepper flavors that build tension and structure toward broad-shouldered tannins. Best from 2023 through 2030.

Deep ruby-red colour in the glass. The nose lifts with ground coffee, tobacco leaf and mixed berry. It fills the mouth with dark berries and mocha notes, glides with a slippery tannin line and a hint of oiliness that adds depth to its flow. Good length and finishes softly .

Ink black core to a deep purple rim. Cassis, bay and wood oil aromatics. A big and voluminous wine that shows ripe cassis alongside significant oak spices. Goes long and the structure is up to the task of controlling the flow. Time and a serious serve of red meat will bring it into context.

Grown in California, most Dijon clones deliver fruit forward wines, making this savory bottling of Barbara’s, made with Clone 667, somewhat anomalous. Cambria’s Barbara’s doesn’t much behave like a Dijon clone, at least not at first; this wine’s smoky tobacco savor goes up against its cherry fruit, lingering with a sneaky persistence. The subtle plum fruit is weightless and lifted, ready for something with an umami feel, like a pork cutlet.

This estate wine is remarkably elegant, with scents of smoke, olive and cola all wrapped around a plum compote core. The sleek and soft texture, with tannins as suave as pipe-tobacco, suggest a pairing with braised beef, like Bourguignon.

It’s easy to anticipate the concentration of this wine just by looking at its dark purple color. It smells of pine and dark plum, then tastes of spiced cherry, rye and peppercorn, with terrific acidity that keeps the wine on point.

High Rock Ranch is Copain’s estate vineyard in the Yorkville Highlands, a stark, barren hilltop composed of schist and exposed to plenty of Pacific wind, cold and fog. This syrah leads with baking spices and smoke, coolly delivering a dark array of fruit—fig and carob and black plum—with a finely wrought texture that feels firm and balanced. For grilled pork.

A side project from Greg Brewer of Brewer-Clifton wines, this brings out the funk from Santa Barbara vines. Its dark concentration yields with scents of thyme, ash, olive and cheese rind over blackberries. The brushy herbal notes provide a savory backdrop to a wine that’s packed with flavor, for ribs.

The Yarra Valley chardonnay comes off five sites: Sexton, Tarraford, Applejack, Primavera, and Wombat Creek Vineyards. It is hard to believe it could get better than last year, but it is, and the alcohol is down an entire point to 12.5 percent. The vintage was large and of high quality. The overall temperature during the growing season was lower than average, which led to a long, slow ripening period and great concentration of flavours and natural acidity. The result is a high quality white with mealy, leesy notes, bright apricot, and lemon that rush through the finish. Rich in a Grand Cru way but not overpowering. Outstanding value. Food possibilities are endless, including these winery suggestions: fish tacos with coriander, chili and avocado salsa, grilled eggplant with tomato relish, salad with grilled goat cheese on croutons, roast crispy skin chicken with preserved lemon and roast garlic. It is all hand-picked, chilled overnight to 12C, then whole bunch pressed, fermented on full juice solids with wild yeast in 500L French puncheons (15% new) for eight months. No lees is stirred, and only 10% of the blend underwent spontaneous malolactic fermentation.

Lassegue’s 2015 Bordeaux is a sumptuous Merlot-driven blend from the Right Bank. It is immensely pleasurable now and worthy of a spot in the cellar. It’s a lustrous garnet red, with vibrant aromas of ripe plum, cherry, dark chocolate, and violets. Medium to full in body, it has a dense but balanced feel on the palate with opulent layers of spiced black fruit, cassis, and mocha. The blend is 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine evolves nicely in the glass and is the perfect candidate for a case purchase.

Flinty to begin, the 2020 Chardonnay takes some time to reveal baked peaches and quince with honey-nut undertones. The palate offers incredible texture and saline-like mineral character, with soft white-flower perfume on the refreshing finish.

The Conifer designation is right on as there is a pine-tar accent streaking through the bright red-berry and cherry-fruit flavors here. The full body characterizes this excellent vintage, and the extra details of texture and length, along with highlights of truffle and toast, keep this wine interesting through the lengthy finish.

Sourced from specific blocks on the estate, this aromatic wine mixes potent blueberry and blackberry fruit with sharp lemony acids. It’s powerful and blocky, punching those flavors on through a long finish. More bottle age should help to fully integrate all components.

An aromatic mix of toasted hazelnuts, blackberry fruit spread, nutella and peanut butter opens into an inviting palate with generous fruit and well-tempered tannins. The moderately low alcohol in no way detracts from the flavor, and subtle details of spice and herb that higher alcohol often conceals are here to discover.

This is a smooth, medium-ripe wine that’s been fermented and aged in 20% new puncheons. The mouthfeel is firm—almost glossy—with tight apple and pear fruit. There are hints of honeysuckle, jicama and a bright pine-needle note shining through.

This wine offers sizable tannin and power, within a framework of earthy structure and oak. Cedar, dried herb and red-currant and cherry flavors combine effortlessly along a textured palate of richness seasoned in baking spice and caramel.

Well integrated in blackberry, vanilla and with a hint of molasses, this wine offers moderate weight and balanced richness, with fine tannins giving it a lush texture. Juicy on the finish, it shows the power of the appellation and vintage without ever becoming overbearing on the palate.

Steely, fresh and resolved on the palate, this is a cool, coastal white with textures and flavors reminiscent of oyster shell and wet stone. The fruit is crisp and crunchy—a mix of green apple and pear adorned in just a hint of oak.

Hickinbotham’s 2018 release of Cab Franc is a savory and quietly expressive wine. There are dusty herbal, tobacco, black olive and iodine notes wound up in plump black cherry and plum fruit and framed by chocolatey oak. There’s a lovely crunch of acidity in the mouth amidst powdery tannins. The tangy fruit and driedherbal flavors flow to the finish. Typical to this label, this is a full-bodied style unafraid of power and oak influence, but it’s skillfully made with the ability to age until around 2028.